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12/26/98 - Saturday's News:	Click for Current News Page
Carmine's (MiM) News Feed AppleTIL Updates (SATURDAY.12.26.98)  Apple Support Information: Hot Service & Support News  Power Macintosh G3: Error -2004 When Playing System Sounds  56Kbps Modems: Upgrade Options  iMac: When to Install Available Updaters Apple Mac OS 8.5.1 (International) (Apple) Apple Modem Update (International) (Apple) Technology racing to get rid of paper checks (Yahoo) Wired Interview: Cyberpunk takes on global warming (Yahoo) Bill Gates' astrological chart: He can't lose (Yahoo) Clearance Racks Make Way to Web (Yahoo) Microsoft Increased Lobbying in '98 (Yahoo) Microsoft's Political Ties Growing (Yahoo) Docs Offered Software in Y2K Suit (Yahoo) Jobs at Macworld Expo (ZDNet) = 3:00 PM Update = Hope you had great Christmas day. I took the day off yesterday and visited family. Brown Box Ult. Rez?: Frank Gstrein writes that he finally received his $69.95 Ultmate Rez card: " Hi Mike - Merry Christmas! I just thought I'd drop this e-mail because I found the following interesting. I ordered a Ultimate Rez Card from MacConnection about 4 weeks ago when the price was $69.95. The card never came but my order status was never cancelled. Well today - Christmas Eve I finally received it. It is in a Brown Box marked "For Bundle Use Only - Not To Be Sold Separately." This was not really strange itself due to the fact that these discounted boards were Apple Returned OEM's (Rev 1.01). What I did find interesting is that the manual that came with it states that it is multi-platform Mac/Windows95/98/NT. This manual explains how to install the driver software under each platform. I never knew this! I always thought these boards were Mac only. So I checked the IxMicro web site and now see "New IxMicro Ultimate Rez for PC." I wonder if they have been compatible all along!? Perhaps this is old news to you but I never heard any comments on this and found it interesting that I got this. Perhaps this is a saving grace move by IxMicro to expand the market to stay solvent. Take Care! Frank Gstrein " IXMicro has made PC and Mac video cards for some time I think, and I expect that the ROM would have to be changed for it to work in a PC. I'm not sure the cards are flashable either so I'd not bet that the Mac version could be used in a PC. Interesting that his card was in a brown box - I think other readers who got the first of the sale cards said they were in retail boxes. Alex Jones sent a note that iMac sales have literally doubled Apple's market share according to this Apple news article. With new products due next year like their new Yosemite line, consumer portable, new iMac models and more I'm betting Apple's share will continue to grow. It looks to be a very interesting year ahead. Spencer Nielsen sent details on his experience Overclocking the PowerTower Pro 200 CPU card. Note there is no 4.5X ratio on the 604 CPU which is sorely missed in my experience as well. I think I menitoned that in some of the past 604E CPU card reviews as several times I has wished for just such a ratio myself. Overclocking is not something I can recommend to others, and note that fixed speed cards like these require soldering that is beyond the capability of most owners. In the end the resulting boost may not be worth the effort as most 200MHz 604E CPUs don't seem to run reliably at more than a 10% or so boost. The Links page OC section lists links to pages with this information - but use it at your own risk. Notes to PowerBase Owners: I've had reader mail recently noting that there may be an issue with PowerBase systems and a recent batch of PowerForce G3 cards. One reader noted that his card is being reworked for compatibility and suggested I post a note for PowerBase owners to ask the dealer before purchasing if the card is compatible (in the past PF models have been fully PowerBase compatible). This may have been an isolated incident but I wanted to make PowerBase owners aware of it. As usual, make sure you understand the return policy should problems arise. Notes to Mach 5 Owners: I'm beginning to wonder if any of the first releases of (G3) 400MHz cards except for the XLR8/400 is fully compatible with these systems, as both Newer Tech and PowerLogix owners have reported problems, at least with 400Mhz cards in Mach 5 systems (9600/350's, and other "kansas" motherboard models). [Note: Newer tech and other vendors later revised their card designs to address the differences in the Kansas motherboards.] One reader reported the 400MHz card did not boot in his 9600/350 regardless of settings but ran fine in his 7500. " Mike, After reading reports from a few of your readers about how good the PowerLogix G3/400 card for PCI is, I decided to order one from Small Dog Electronics. I chose overnight shipping to make sure that I received it on Christmas Eve. I have yet to get the card to work properly. I get a startup chime, but my monitor doesn't get any video signal. I tried reseating the card, hitting the CUDA button, and even lowering the settings on the card to a low bus speed and processor speed, but I still can't get the card to work. I guess I am stuck waiting until Monday to call PowerLogix or Small Dog. I am using a 9600/350, but I will try the card in my sister's 7500/100 this weekend to confirm if the card is defective, or if there is just a compatibility problem with Mach 5 systems... [he later added] I tried the card in a 7500/100, and it started up on the first try. Sincerely, Peter Lin " I also had problems with a 366MHz card in a 9600/350 system but assumed it was just a bad card. Also note a reader recently reported problems with Newer Tech's G3 400Mhz card in a 9600/350 as well (noting it needed special switch settings for the mach 5 motherbard voltage and had to be run at less than the 400MHz rating). Based on current feedback from Mach 5 owners (and my experience) it seems the XLR8 400MHz card works best in Mach 5 systems (250Mhz and up 8600/9600 models). Always ask for your vendor to verify systems compatibility and also what the return policy is in case there is a problem. Other Net News: Products that made 98 Great (ZDnet) Momentum has more problems with uConnect (TheiMac.com) New iMac Firmware Updates Analyzed (TheiMac.com) iMac is a targeted Mac (TheiMac.com) Thursday's News Summary (No news on Christmas day) Carmine's TIL and net news updates Page posted with more details on the IDE to SCSI adapters EE Times article link on possibility that IBM G4 to have Altivec extensions Maxtor vs stock G3 HD page updated MacMagic Contest reminder Unreal news page updated OWC's $479 G3/300/150/1MB ZIFs in stock Other Net News Please verify your Email address when sending support mail: I'm still getting a few bounces on mail I send to help readers with tech support problems. Please ensure you verify your correct email address (repeat it in the mail as a safety measure). Also, please check the FAQ, and Troubleshooting page for possible solutions first before writing - and please try the Men in Mac Help page as an alternative on requests for tech support to help me be able to spend more time on reviews. Thanks. For other recent site news/features links, see the Recent Site Features page. Note: Before sending tech support related questions please check the Freq. Asked Questions, Site Contents, CPU Card reviews/articles, SCSI reviews articles, Graphics card reviews, Tips/Misc, Message Boards and Help pages - in many cases the answers to your questions are there and they have far more detail than I can list in an email. For Apple G3 system info - see the G3-ZONE. News and guest reviews that don't require a reply are always welcome. I hope to catch up in the next few weeks. Thanks. Looking for past articles? Check the menu frame topics links (CPU Cards, SCSI, Graphics Cards, Systems) under the logo above or in the menu frame below or check the Recent Features page. Make a Difference: Be the Difference Randy Mita, Brad Lau and I came up with a new slogan and theme for Mac advocacy - "Make a Difference: Be the Difference". We're asking that all Mac owners take advantage of every opportunity to let others know the Mac advantage. It's a grass-roots approach that will surely help.